Do You Think of Me
by cvreitzer
Summary: Garrus is too old to have a crush, much less one on his human commanding officer.  All his logic doesn't stop the fact that he's hopelessly hooked on her.  His only hope now is to play it cool so she doesn't find out.  Mass meme fill, three chapters long.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a prompt for the mass meme. Original prompt:**

**Garrus, in ME2, makes a point of reminding Shepard that he's never thought of her species or her personally in any romantic sense.**  
><strong>But he was lying. Basically, I'd love fic where his casual surprise and reminders that he doesn't have any particular interest in humans are covers for the fact that he's been carrying a flame for Femshep for a long time. Maybe he panics when she actually comes on to him and lies to cover it, maybe he's just pessimistic and tries to downplay things with the expectation of disaster, or maybe he's just trying to play it cool because he thinks crushes are ridiculous. Approach it however you like best. I'd love it if she eventually discovers the truth, but I'll love you even if you don't choose to write about that part. <strong>

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

I clenched my teeth tightly to keep in the growl as she slipped that warm and dexterous hand into my armor, running her too many and too small digits along the seam of my protective plate. She bit into her lip, her eyes gleaming with victory as she found the right place and pressed just so to make the plate relax enough to slip her fingers in. "Come on, Gar, you know you want to." She whispered tauntingly. Her strange and alien chest pressed against mine. She ran that wonderfully little pink tongue along my unscarred mandible before flicking it against the point just where my jaw hinged.

Spirits, did I want to. I just didn't want to let her get the upper hand in this. I didn't want to be just another follower obeying the great Shepard. I was going to be her equal. I slipped my hand to her pants and trailed a talon down the seam until I came to her warm center. I rubbed against the warmth there slightly. She pressed against me, biting my neck as I did. I trailed my other hand up and captured her breast in it, kneading the mound just as the turian had on one of the vids I'd downloaded.

She moaned beautifully as I did. I slipped my hand back up and slid it into her pants, searching for access to her. She shifted, making room for me, welcoming me in. I'd just reached the outer lips when she spoke again.

"Come on, Gar! Give it to me!"

"Oh, I'll give it to you." I laughed throatily.

"Then hand it over." I blinked and glanced at Shepard who was holding her hand out to me. She watched me with a puzzled look. "Gar?"

"What? Uh, I…" I cleared my throat trying to remember what was going on. Spirits help me, I was fantasying with her present now. I had to get it together. Maybe it was time to take a break from all the human/turian porn that I'd discovered. Well, some Mordin had given me, but…

"Are you going to let me try your rifle or not?" She asked. I blinked again. Rifle?

I glanced around. We were in the sim room. We'd been trying out some of the new rifle specs that she'd acquired. I'd teased her that the best was my personal one and she'd never be able to handle it. I cringed at my bad attempt at flirting without seeming like I was flirting. This crush on her was getting ridiculous. I wasn't some flustered untried adolescent. I was a grown man for Spirits sakes.

I'd slipped into the fantasy while she'd been lovingly taking apart her new favorite rifle. The way she'd been handling the barrel as cliché as it was had fueled my lust of her handling me the same way. I quickly handed over my rifle. In my haste I shoved it into her stomach.

She made a uff noise and looked at me puzzled as she clasped the rifle to her. "You alright?"

"Yes. Sorry. I, uh, had some calibrations that I needed to get to. Maybe I should go." I said and took a step back. She arched her brow at me.

"You are going to leave? Without your rifle? Without seeing if I can actually use it? You aren't going to rub it in that you're better at sniping than me?" She asked setting the rifle down and turning to look at me. "Gar, I know you're still pissed at me about Sidonis, but I really think we need to talk about it. I've tried to give you space, but you are acting increasingly distant. You're my best friend. I did what I thought was best. I didn't want you to live with something you couldn't undo. Tell me I'm wrong, and I'll hunt him down. Emily Wong did a report on him. She'll know where to find him."

"You think I'm mad at you?" I asked shocked that was what she thought. I'd been sure that I'd finally given away my hopeless crush.

"Aren't you?" She asked. For a second my brave and fearless leader looked anything but brave and fearless. She looked fragile and vulnerable.

"I was never mad at you. I was mad at him, at me, at the whole situation, but never you."

"Why were you mad at you?" She asked leaning back against the table where all the rifles were laid out.

"I'm tired of you having to fish me out of situations, pull me back from crossing a line. It seems like I can't get anything right."

She bumped my arm with her shoulder as I leaned against the table with her. "We're friends, Garrus. I'll always be here to help you with whatever."

"Great, just what I want. You to have to keep rescuing me." I grumbled.

"Hey, I seem to recall you having to pull me back from the line a few times."

"Name one." I said sulking slightly.

"When we went to recruit Thane and I shoved that merc out the window. You reminded me that that wasn't me. That I tried to talk people out of fights, not shove them through windows when they annoyed me." She said not even pausing a moment to think. That had been really out of character for the 'save them all' Shepard from before her death. "And you reminded me how much paperwork would be involved if I killed Alenko on Horizon." She cut her eyes to me, smiling at me slightly as she bumped me again. "Only reason that smug bastard's still alive. Call me a traitor and I'll show you one." She muttered.

"Shepard." I warned as she began to glow.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. She then grinned at me. "See, Gar? You keep me in line. I keep you in line."

"Then I'm even more grateful to Cerberus."

She sighed and laid her head against my shoulder. "How wrong would it be for me to agree with you?"

"I'll never tell." I promised.

She smiled at me. "You know what? I think we need a break. You are always complaining I never take you anywhere nice. We have nothing pressing until TIM gets us our next lead. Illium or Omega? Your choice. We'll give the crew some shore leave and have a drink. Relax before the shit hits the fan again."

This was almost like she was asking me out on a date. I'd been watching a lot of human movies as well as the porn trying to learn about human mating rituals. I worked on playing it cool and smirked at her. "Is Omega really a nice place?"

She laughed. "Nope, but what can I say? My choices are limited while I'm a Spectre in title only. Illium it is then. Liara said she had a great apartment we could use." My heart fluttered at that. Share an apartment with her? This was sounding more and more like a date. Get your head on straight, Garrus, I thought angrily. She is doing this out of friendship and to relieve the stress of the crew. Don't read too much into it.

I nodded to her. "Sounds good, Shepard. I'll remind you that it was your idea when I'm peeling you off the bathroom floor again."

She laughed and punched my shoulder. "I don't plan on getting that drunk again. I was…testing this new bodies limits."

"Right." I smirked at her. "And it had nothing to do with the turian bartender flirting with you?" This had angered me as I'd watched it. I wanted to rip the bastard apart. She was mine. No way in hell I was going to lose her to some guy who couldn't even keep up with her, let alone best her.

"Jealous?" She teased elbowing me in the waist.

"You wish." I wasn't about to admit the truth. It was stupid to be jealous as much as it was stupid to keep this crush on her. I motioned to my gun to distract her from this line of conversation before I said something I couldn't undo. "So you gonna play with my gun or not?"

She gave me a teasing look that shot heat straight through my body to loosen the plates that had finally resealed from my earlier fantasying. "I'll show you the proper way to handle this beauty." She said and leaned around me to grab my rifle.

I shifted back and wiggled a bit as she focused on the gun. I was glad that I wore my armor around the ship. It would keep her from realizing her effect on me. But it was going to keep me in pain as I watched her reverently stroking my rifle and then lean against the table with it, steadying herself for the shot.

I refused to give into the thoughts of what I wanted to do to her splayed so nicely. The way the recoil of the gun would shove her farther onto me. The way she'd be trapped between my hard body and the table. I'd trace my hands over the swell of her ass, scratching lightly and then holding her hips still so she couldn't move against me. I'd be the one in control of the powerful woman beneath me. She'd be moaning my name and begging for more. I'd…

"Ha! I can too work your rifle!" She said triumphantly effectively pulling me from my thoughts. I nodded at her, hoping to placate whatever she was saying. It was going to be a long day before I could slip to my bunk and relieve the ache she caused me.


	2. Chapter 2

"And this is it." Liara said as the doors of the elevator opened to a spacious apartment. The opposite wall was all glass with a spectacular view of the Illium sunset. I whistled as I moved to the window. Shepard followed.

"Information pays well." Shepard said as we looked out the window.

Liara laughed. "If you are good at it, it pays very well. I'm glad you decided to take me up on using it. It will be good for you to get away from the crew for a bit."

"It will be good for us all. We all needed some downtime. Two days doesn't seem like much, but I am going to make the most of it. Starting with taking the man walking into hell with me out for a drink or two." Shepard elbowed me.

"Or twelve in your case." I taunted her with a smile. She'd said we were the only ones staying here. The rest of the crew had been put up at a luxury hotel that Liara had serious investments in. I wasn't sure why I wasn't with the rest of the crew at the hotel, but I was glad as I eyed Shepard's reflection in the glass. She was out of her armor and in a jumpsuit that hugged her curvy body as tightly as I wanted to.

"The two guest rooms are down this hall here. The kitchen is stocked with both human and turian fare. I've keyed the elevator to accept both of your prints now so come and go as you please. I won't be here unless you need me. I stay in a room at my office. Especially now with all the information you helped me get. I'm getting close." Liara said turning to Shepard.

"You know I'll help you anyway I can, but I want you to be careful. The Shadow Broker is a dangerous figure." Shepard warned her.

"He won't be for long if I have anything to do with it. Enjoy your stay." Liara squeezed her shoulder and then patted my arm. I turned and watched her leave.

"Well, Garrus? This count as nicer?" Shepard asked.

"Much." I nodded turning to her. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, first we're going to fight over which guest room is better, then I thought dinner and drinks. If you want to do something else, feel free. You don't have to keep me company. I just thought it might be nice to do something that didn't involve us having to use our guns for a change."

"But we so enjoy using our guns." I teased her. She laughed.

"Especially when you let me use yours."

I cleared my throat trying to banish the images that threatened. Me pressing her against the glass. I could take her from behind and watch her in the reflection. That fabric was fragile and would rip beneath my talons. I could have her bared in seconds. She'd be shocked, but willing. We'd fog up the glass as we moved together the first round. We'd then tumble down the hall to one of the bedrooms where we'd make use of the bed, dressers, walls, and shower. I'd take her again and again showing her why human men would never be enough. Why she needed me.

"So you with me?" She asked pulling me back to reality.

"Always." I promised. She smiled up at me, a teasing light in her eyes.

"Hmm. I might hold you to that."

-0-

We ate dinner at a nice and quiet restaurant that offered a wide variety of food for each of us. It was odd to have all this time alone with her. Good, but odd. I didn't miss the looks we were getting either. Shepard looked amazing in the little blue mini-dress.

It was low cut, showing a fantastic view of cleavage that I was quickly discovering was as fascinating as human men seemed to find it. For some reason I just wanted to rest my head between the swells of plump flesh. The dress hugged her curves and ended high on her thighs. She was wearing these impossibly sexy silver shoes with a sharp spike of a heel and wrapped around her leg. Her hair was down and curled softly around her. She was breathtaking.

We moved from there to a club with pulsing music and a large crowd. We were shown right away to a VIP area where we could watch all the happenings and not be disturbed. I sat down next to Shepard and eyed the room.

"It pays to be on Liara's good side." She said, leaning close so I could hear her over the music.

"It could have something to do with staying on the good side of a Spectre who is known for blowing things up." I taunted her.

"It was one damn planet and no one ever lets me live it down." She sighed dramatically. "And it wasn't even my idea."

"You also destroyed the Prothean ruins on Therum." I pointed out.

"You are killing my fun here, Gar."

"Let me fix that." I said and waved over a waitress. I placed our order and leaned back. A young asari eyed me with a look that didn't need to be translated with words. She began to sway to the music, showing off her fit body that was displayed in a tight dress with cutouts. She ran her hands over her waist and licked her lips when she caught my eye. I looked away from her to find Shepard glaring at her. She then shifted her eyes to me.

"Looks like you have a fan." Shepard said nodding to the asari.

I leaned back in the seat and rested my arm on the back of our bench. For a few seconds I could pretend Shepard's look and tone were jealousy. "I am a fine specimen of manhood. Even with the scars."

"The scars don't detract from your manliness, Gar. If anything they add to it."

"Got a thing for men with scars?" I teased her. She didn't answer me as our drinks arrived. Shepard downed hers and nodded at the waitress' look.

"Yes, I did that. And yes, you need to bring more." She said as the asari eyed her and then turned to me.

"Can I get you anything else? Anything at all?" The asari purred as she leaned close to me.

"Keep the drinks coming." I said and smirked at Shepard once she was gone. "I thought you weren't going to get drunk this time."

"I said you weren't going to need to peel me off a bathroom floor. I didn't say I wasn't going to get my buzz on." She then made a noise and shook her head as she spotted two asari girls checking me out. "What is with all the girls eyeballing you? Did you spray yourself with some cologne that makes all the asari act like a varren bitch in heat?"

"Jealous?" I teased her.

"Maybe a little." She gave me a half smile. "You don't have to stay with me. You can go and greet your adoring fans."

"I'm good right here for now. Let them drool a little." I taunted her. We drank our second round and watched the crowd for a bit. The waitress returned with a bottle of expensive turian wine. "We didn't order this." I said as she sat it down in front of me.

"No, but she did." She said and pointed to the first asari girl. The girl waved at me and blew a kiss.

"Uh…" I wasn't sure what to do.

"Tell her he's flattered but busy right now. Maybe he'll dance with her in a bit." Shepard said smirking at me. The waitress nodded and then disappeared. "Well, well, well. Looks like freckles has upped the game. The others are getting restless. What will they do next for the attention of one handsome and brooding turian?"

"Freckles?" I asked.

"She has a light dusting of freckles on the edge of her forehead."

"And that one?" I asked motioning to one of the two girls who'd been dancing together giving a performance worthy of Aria's area on Omega.

"Tiger. She's got markings like one. And her friend is…raunchy." Shepard said shaking her head as the girl ran her hand down and rubbed her crotch and licked her lips as I watched her.

"This is getting…out of hand." I had to agree with Shepard about the raunchy bit. "Although I don't remember you getting so upset about lewd attention on Omega when you had turians hitting on you left and right."

"What turians, other than the bartender?" She frowned at me as she downed her third drink of the night.

"The one who shot the batarian bartender for one."

"He wasn't flirting with me. He thanked me for pointing out what the batarian was doing."

"Shepard, he asked you to come back and dance with him."

"He was just being nice."

"Right."

"And even if he was, it doesn't matter. I'm not interested in those turians. And none of them were doing anything so disgusting." Shepard said as tiger and raunchy began to grind on each other while they eyed me. "So anything catch your eye?"

I glanced down at her as she watched the crowd. Yes, I thought. Right here. I wanted to reach out and pull her into my lap. I wanted to run my hand up her leg and slip it under her dress. I wanted to slip my hand into her warmth and wring an orgasm out of her right here in this dark corner. She glanced back up at me in question.

"Sorry. I'm not in to the whole cross species thing." I shrugged casually hoping she wouldn't see that my plates had shifted slightly in my pants.

"Really? Not at all?" She asked shifting slightly, turning her body towards me. I could see the edges of something black and lacy peeking out of the dress neckline as she leaned forward.

"Nope. Not at all." I said lying through my teeth.

"No other species?"

"What part of no didn't you understand?" I asked growing uneasy with her pressing. Could she see through my lies?

"All our time together, never once has it crossed your mind?"

"You?" I asked shocked by this. Was she really asking me this? I panicked a bit and laughed to cover it. "Shepard, that's just…disgusting." I couldn't admit my sickness to her. She'd never look at me the same way if I admitted to how many times and ways I'd thought of her. But apparently I'd done the wrong thing.

"Disgusting? I'm disgusting to you?" She all but shrieked. She looked at me angrily and downed her fourth drink. "Thanks a lot, Garrus! Way to hit a girl when she's down!"

"You're offended because I said I didn't think of you sexually?" I asked.

She crossed her arms and I almost groaned out loud when her chest was heaved up. "I'm offended because you said I was disgusting."

"I didn't mean you were disgusting. I don't find you disgusting. I just…don't think of you like that." I finished lamely.

"Couldn't you just have said that and not hit me with the disgusting?" She snapped and snatched the fifth drink off of the waitress' tray.

"Sorry, Shepard. I didn't mean to offend you."

"My feelings are hurt." She huffed and tapped her foot as she crossed her legs. This hiked her dress up even farther.

"Have you thought of me sexually?" I asked as curiosity over came my thinking. Or maybe it was all the alcohol.

"Do you honestly want me to answer that now? Now that you've hurt my feelings and said I was disgusting?"

We didn't speak again for a bit. The music was starting to get annoying as were the asari gyrating on the floor. I'd screwed up royally. Maybe it would have been better to admit to my sick fantasies. Maybe then she wouldn't be angry at me.

"Do you want me to think of you sexually?" I asked making the waitress who had just returned drop her tray, spilling our drinks in the process. Shepard glared at me. "I will if you really want me to."

"Forget it now. I don't want your pity fantasies." Shepard pouted cutely. She smiled coyly at a man as he eyed her. "I'm going to dance. Keep your eyes away from me so I don't disgust you."

I watched her as she danced with the guy. Even with all the drinks she was still something to behold. She had such mastery over her body. She was flexible and strong and so damned beautiful. The guy grew bold by the way she ground against him as they swayed and began to run his hands along her possessively. I felt a growl rumble up from my stomach. Shepard was getting irritated with him as well. I could see it in her eyes.

I didn't wait for her to handle it though. I marched to the dance floor and cut in. She looked at me in surprise. "I'm ready to go if you are."

"What? Don't want to dance with your disgusting commanding officer?"

"You aren't going to let this go are you?"

"Nope." She said.

"If I dance with you?"

"Oh, so I get a pity dance as well? Lucky me." I wrapped my arms around her and tugged her close as the music slowed. I hated dancing. I made a point to avoid it, but I had to find someway to fix this with Shepard. She resisted for a moment, but I was stronger than her and refused to let her go. She eventually gave in and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Shepard, there is no one in the galaxy I respect more than you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or injure your pride. I only meant that to think like that would be disrespectful of you. You are my best friend."

She sighed heavily and laid her head on my shoulder. "Fine. You're forgiven."

"Besides, didn't you used to complain about being able to feel Alenko's eyes on your ass every time you moved in front of him? Isn't it a relief to not have to worry mine are?"

"I said you're forgiven, Gar. Don't push it." We danced together until the song ended. "We better go unless you want mauled." Shepard motioned to the three asari who'd been eyeing me. All of them were heading our way.

"Good point. Let's go." I said placing my hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the club.

We didn't make it far before freckles cut us off. She pressed up tight against me and ran her hand down my chest. She smiled up and me with an inviting look I'd often imagined in Shepard's eyes.

"Don't tell me you're going to leave without at least speaking to me." She purred.

"I, uh, thanks for the wine, but I've really got to go." I said hastily. I wanted to scream at the damned asari as Shepard moved out of my arms. She watched me with a slight smirk.

The asari glared at Shepard. "You are going to give up centuries of experience on pleasing men in general, and turians in particular for some colonial rube?"

Shepard tensed up, her eyes flashed with anger. If you wanted to guarantee a fight with Shepard you called her a colonial rube. "What did you say?" Shepard hissed in a voice that had made many a merc back off. Didn't seem to have the same effect on the asari.

The asari didn't seemed fazed at all. "I said that you were a colonial rube. A pathetic, uneducated, ass end of the galaxy nothing who has climbed out of the muck you call home to latch onto something you have no idea what to do with." The asari moved to square off with Shepard.

"Shepard, remember that line? You're about to cross it." I warned and moved around the asari. I held my hand out to her and waited. She took a deep breath, and then placed her hand in mine. I pulled her back to my side and placed my hand on her back again.

"That's right, walk away rube. You couldn't handle a real asari. Neither could your trained little turian pet either."

"Shepard." I warned as she froze in place. "She's not worth it."

"Listen to your pet." She laughed.

"Garrus, I'm crossing the line." She said and whirled out of my arms. I turned back as Shepard decked the asari, laying her out on the floor.

"First, I'm not a rube, you stupid bitch. I'm a spacer brat." The asari surged to her feet, glowing brightly. Shepard dodged the girl's swing and placed another one square on her jaw. The asari stumbled back clutching her jaw. "Second, I'm more than able to handle a real asari when I come across one. Don't believe me, just check out what I did to Matriarch Benezia." The asari's eyes widened at Shepard's words. "That's right. I'm that Shepard. Don't pick a fight with a Spectre unless you want to end up on the floor." The girl tried to sneak a dirty biotic warp. Shepard seemed to have known it was coming and easily sidestepped it, shoving me out of the way in the process.

"Spectres have no authority here." The girl said attempting to recover her composure. She should have just laid back down. "So take your pet turian and go before we show you why we aren't part of Citadel space."

"Your third and worst mistake was to talk about Garrus." Shepard said and added her own biotics to her punch as she swung. The asari blocked her first swing, but missed the one-two combo Shepard leveled at her. The asari crumpled to the ground, bloody and properly cowed before Shepard. "Garrus is more man than you'll ever even see again in your considerable lifetime. You are aware of this or you wouldn't have been acting like a rutting animal trying to get his attention. Now are you done trying to save face or am I going to have to send you to a hospital?" The asari looked around for help, but just found an avid audience. She gave Shepard a sharp nod and dropped her eyes. "Then I think an apology is in order. As is a round of drinks for the house. You did interrupt everyone's evening with your acting like a skanky whore."

"Right. Sorry. I shouldn't have said that about you." The asari said looking up at Shepard.

"Good start. Now to the fine specimen of manhood you interrupted me leaving with." Shepard crossed her arms and glared at the girl. Fine specimen of manhood? Did she really find me attractive? Could she possibly have been flirting with me all this time? It was inconceivable for me. More likely she was teasing me from my earlier comment.

"I…apologize for acting rude to you and your…date." The asari gritted out.

"And to the club?" Shepard was enjoying this far too much. The asari gritted her teeth audibly.

"A round of drinks on me." The asari announced. A cheer went up in the club and the music started back. Shepard gave the asari one last look and then moved back to me. We didn't speak as we left the club and climbed into a skycar. We were silent all the way back to Liara's apartment.

"You enjoyed that far too much." I said as we climbed into the elevator.

"She totally deserved being put in her place." Shepard insisted.

"Maybe." I inclined my head. I'd rather enjoyed it. I could twist it in my head that they'd been fighting over me. It made a sick thrill run through me at the thought that she'd be as possessive about me as I was about her. "You didn't just cross the line though. I'd say you danced all over it."

"I did warn you." Shepard shrugged. She then bumped my shoulder. "See, there was no peeling me off the bathroom floor this time."

"Nope. Just a good old fashioned cat fight. I should have recorded it for Joker." I teased her. She poked my side laughing.

"I would never have thought that the two of you would become such good friends, but I'm glad to see it. Except when it involves you two ganging up on me."

"Hurt your feelings that I'm not always doing just as you want me to?"

"Ah, Garrus, if I'd wanted someone to blindly follow me around doing as I wanted, I'd have recruited some Alliance marine or a different turian." She leaned into me then. Her eyes sparkling with humor.

"Is that so? Wish you'd done that now, huh?" I asked half joking and half serious.

"I'd never wish that I had anyone but you. I couldn't do this without you, Gar. I wouldn't want to."

"Sure you could. Not as stylishly of course." I teased because I felt unsure about what she was doing. Was this a reassuring speech for a friend, a drunken speech, or was this more?

She laughed that musical laugh that I didn't get to hear as much anymore. She was too stressed lately to find much truly humorous. "Really? Stylish? I had to beg you to let me get you new armor that wasn't damaged."

"And look at how stylish it makes me look." I held my arms out just remembering that I wasn't wearing my armor.

She ran her eyes over me. "Oh, I'm looking alright. I like this casual look. Shows off how much bigger you are than other turian men. Broader, tougher looking, manlier. Although that is probably part of why I was just in a fight."

"Been checking me out, have you?" I taunted trying to remember why my crush was stupid.

"Unlike you, I can appreciate hotness in any form. Not just my own species." She placed her hands on my shoulders and leaned close. She hesitated just a second as she slipped up onto her toes. She then placed a light kiss on my cheek. "Night, Gar."

I watched her walk away stunned. Could she possibly have meant all of that, or was it a drunken thing? Was she reaching out to me because we were close and she needed someone? Or was it more than that? I shoved aside the thoughts that made me want to do something foolish like barge into her room and show her how much more of a man I was than any one she'd ever see in her lifetime. Instead I headed for my room and a cold shower. Or twelve.


	3. Chapter 3

When I came out of the shower I noticed a vid and note laying on the bed. It was from Liara. I wondered when she'd come back to the apartment, and really hoped it hadn't been while I was in the shower trying to ease a bit of the ache Shepard in that dress had caused.

_'Garrus,_

_I'm sure things have been tense for you. Even more this time than last time. What with Cerberus being so human oriented and all. Not to mention knowing what it's like to lose Shepard. I don't know if I could walk through hell with her again. I don't think I could stand to lose her again. Please take care of her. And yourself._

_I didn't write this for that. Goodness knows you have enough worries without adding mine. Forgive me my moment of weakness._

_I want you to really relax while you have the chance. Take a break from all the woes of the galaxy, and take a moment to really enjoy what is right in front of you. Opportunities won't last forever._

_Friendly lecture over now. Enjoy the rest of your visit. And on that note, I thought you'd like this vid I found. Maybe it will inspire you. Enjoy it and the apartment._

_Liara'_

I looked down at the vid in my hand and felt my mouth fall open. There on the cover was a woman who looked an awful lot like Shepard giving a pouty look to a turian with similar markings to mine and a visor over one eye. I stared at it stunned. There was no way this was a vid about us. It couldn't be, could it? I flipped it over and quickly read on the back cover.

_'It's hard work being the first human Spectre on a mission to save the galaxy from a madman bent on destroying it. Good thing Shepard has such an attentive turian by her side to tend to all her needs.'_

"Well, I'm be damned." I said sitting down hard. How had I not come across this particular bit of filth while trolling the extranet?

I turned it over and looked at the porn Shepard. She had Shepard's eyes and hair color. It was even styled the same. She was built similar as well except for the over abundance of breast that were obviously fake. She was similar in her facial structure, not enough to mistake her for Shepard but enough for me to pretend.

I glanced at my closed door and then the cabinet that housed the hidden TV. I moved to the door and pressed my ear to it. Nothing could be heard out there except the air circulating. Shepard had had a lot to drink. Surely she was in bed now.

I put the vid in the player and switched the volume to my earpiece just incase she was still up. There was no way I wanted her to walk in on this. I stripped down and climbed in bed. Liara said to enjoy myself and damned if I wouldn't. I paused as I thought about the fact she'd given this to me. Had she done it thinking I'd find it humorous or did she know that I'd been harboring a crush on Shepard for years now?

I groaned at the word crush. It was so juvenile, but it fit pretty well, even the juvenile part. She reduced me to an adolescent boy, jerking off every chance I had just to ease all the tension she caused in me.

As the vid started I shoved aside the worries of it all. I could deal with that later. Right now I was going to enjoy myself. I closed my eyes and thought of how good she'd looked tonight. How that dress had hiked on her leg. The hints of lacy undergarments. The way her breast had felt against my chest when we'd danced and when she'd kissed me goodnight. By the time the opening credits were done my plates had shifted. I reached in and eased my growing erection out. I didn't want it to become fully aroused. I didn't want to spend all night jerking off.

A turian could go time after time before we were spent. I knew that it was a trait human men didn't have. It ensured success at procreating with the multiple orgasms. It was also a trait that was thoroughly enjoyed by other species.

If I could manage to keep it just barely erect, I could jerk off a couple more times and finish the vid. I stroked myself as the porn Shepard on screen moved sensually towards what was supposed to be me.

"You're so good with those big hands of yours, Vakarian." She said leaning back against a Mako. "How about you see if they are good for fine tuning a superior piece of machinery?" Her purring my name made me shudder. I could just imagine Shepard's voice getting soft and husky with desire.

"You really want to do this, Shepard? You keep pushing me, and I'm going to take you." The turian warned her.

"Promises, promises." She taunted him. He gripped her roughly and slammed her to the Mako, pressing his body tightly to hers.

"If we do this, I'll own you, Shepard. You'll be mine. I'll screw you any way and any time I want to."

"Screw me, Garrus! Take me hard." She said twisting in his arms and arching her back to display her plump ass to him. He growled as did I thinking of saying those things to the real Shepard. Of her begging me to screw her.

The turian on screen wasted no time ripping her pants and underwear off of her. He plunged his finger into her dripping wet entrance as he worked himself free from his armor. "Like that, don't you? Want my big alien cock inside you? Want me to pump you full of my cum?" He growled at her.

The turian was fairly well endowed. But nothing to brag about. He lacked my reach by quite a bit. But porn Shepard didn't seem to care. She was whimpering and begging for him to stick it in. He gave her what she was wanting and relentlessly pounded into her, bending her over his work console and lifting one of her legs up so he could drive into her more.

I shuddered to a finish as they did. The turian laughed as porn Shepard would have melted to the floor. He pulled her close and rubbed his face against her neck. "We're just getting started, Shepard."

I decided this was my new favorite vid and that I owed Liara anything she ever wanted for it as they went at it again and again. He took her in all the ways I'd imagined taking Shepard. Even a few creative ones I hadn't. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get anything done now that I had this to enjoy though.

Finally the vid was over and I was spent. I cleaned myself up and crawled into bed. I promised myself I'd watch it one more time in the morning before I'd put it away. I'd have to limit my usage of it on the ship. It wouldn't do to have someone catch me with it.

-0-

I woke the next morning after dreaming of Shepard. I started the vid up and wrapped my hand around my already swollen member. It was still fairly early. We'd had a late night. I was sure Shepard would sleep in so I didn't worry about the real her. I just lost myself to the fantasies of her hands replacing mine as we watched the vid together.

Oh, I thought, that's a good one. She'd be laughing at the dialog and giving me that teasing look. She'd shift closer and walk her fingers along my thigh until she got to my plates. She'd kiss along them and stroke until I opened for her. I'd resist a bit, make her work for it, but then I'd be at her mercy as she licked and stroked me. Not to be out done, I'd caress her until she spread her legs for me. I'd rip her clothes open and dip my finger into her wet warmth. She'd moan around my cock as I did.

"Just like that!" I moaned as did the porn version of me. I had closed my eyes, just listening to the sounds of the porn as I lost myself into my first orgasm of the day. I was recovering my breath when my door burst open.

"Gar, you will not believe what Liara left for me! You have to…OH GOD!" Shepard burst in looking at a vid in her hand. Her eyes widened as she glanced at me. She then whirled, her cheeks flaming. If a turian could blush, I'd have been blue.

"Shepard, what the hell!" I yelled leaping out of bed and covering my crotch with a pillow.

"Sorry! So sorry! I should have knocked. Heard you moving around and thought this too hilarious. I'm going to…" She froze as she glanced at the TV. "Is that turian/human porn?" She demanded. Her hands went to her hips as she glanced back at me. "You watch this, but say that you don't have a thing for other species?" Her eyes widened and she looked hurt. "It is me you find disgusting! I…I…" She ended her stutter with a growl and stormed to the door.

"Shepard, wait! I can explain!" I yelled and rushed around the bed, grabbing at my pants as I did. I hurriedly tried to pull them up, yelping as I injured my rapidly deflating member. In my haste I hit a button that released the sound from my earpiece back to the TV.

"Yeah, Shepard! Move it like that. Just like that. Don't stop!" The porn turian yelled. Shepard froze in the doorway. I closed my eyes and groaned, dropping down on the bed and slapping a hand over my face.

"Garrus?" Shepard asked. I peaked through my fingers and saw she was still standing in the door, her back to me, her tone slightly wary. "Is that porn about…us?"

"I can explain!"

"Liara left it for you on your bed, didn't she?" She asked. I was in full panic, but her question gave me a way out of the mess.

"Yes. I found it and was curious. It doesn't mean anything." I pressed, praying she'd believe it. I couldn't risk our friendship because I jerked off to thoughts of her with increasing frequency.

She swallowed audibly and nodded. She slowly turned back to me as I turned off the porn. She had her commander face on. Her eyes were unreadable as she looked at me. She crossed her arms leaned against the door, glancing away from me. "She left one for me too. I passed out when we got home and didn't find it until I was making my bed this morning. I thought it hilarious that there was porn of us and planned on making you watch it just to bug you for saying I was disgusting. Guess the joke sort of backfired." She looked back at me a moment and then shifted away from the door. "I'm going to go for a run. Sorry I walked in like that." She started out the door, but I couldn't let her go like this.

"Shepard, wait." I heaved myself up from the bed. I felt like a huge weight had settled on my shoulders. Something told me that no matter what our relationship had forever changed, may as well be honest with her. She deserved that. "I lied to you."

"What?" She asked turning back to me.

"I've been lying to you." I clarified.

"So it is just me." She turned and started out the door. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back around.

"It is just you." I started. She struggled to pull out of my grip.

"Thanks for clearing that up. Now let me go before I go superhero on your ass." She snapped.

"But not like you think." I finished. She glared at me, but went still. She wasn't glowing yet, so that was a good start. "I'm not into the whole cross-species thing. I've never been attracted to anyone who wasn't a turian before." I took a shaky breath and pushed forward. "Until you came into my life." Her eyes widened as she looked at me, the anger gone. So far so good, I thought and reached up to brush a strand of hair back from her face. "I didn't realize that I was attracted to you at first. I knew I respected you, cared for you. You seemed so strange, so different that I couldn't appreciate your hotness at first. My feelings started to grow and change. I stopped seeing you as a mentor and more as a friend, family even. I wasn't lying when I said you are my best friend. There is no one I respect more than you. But I realized that my feelings didn't stop there." I cupped her cheek and trailed my thumb over it. "I realized I was attracted to you late one night while I was working on the Mako. You stopped to visit and brought me food. You climbed up on it and sat there with me, handing me tools and listening to me talk. At one point you even helped me when it began leaking oil. Do you remember that?"

"You flung oil at me when I laughed at it spraying you." She said a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"There we were dripping with oil, your eyes were shining with laughter. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen." I released her arm and lightly laid my hand on her waist. "I blamed you for the leak saying you'd distracted me. That wasn't a lie. I'd been thinking about how no one ever made me feel the way you did, do. I've never been as close to anyone as I am to you." I tilted her head up to look at me. "I didn't realize how much you truly meant to me until I lost you. Now that you're back, I never wanted to do anything to drive you away, so I lied to you about how I felt. About the fact that I think of you so often that I'm having trouble keeping up with my work on the guns. About how fantasies of touching you keep me awake long into the night. About how watching you distracts me to no end. I never wanted you to pity me or think that I wouldn't be the man you needed me to be. So I lied to you."

"You think that I would pity you?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Why would you do anything else? You're Commander Shepard, Savior of the Citadel, and I'm just a guy who follows you around like a leashed varren."

She cupped my face in her slightly cooler hands and forced me to look at her. "You are Garrus Vakarian, killer of Saren, defender of the defenseless, badass Archangel who got three merc bands to join up and they still couldn't take you out. You're my best friend, and the man I rely on. And thoughts of you touching me keep me awake long into the night. Watching you distracts me to no end. I have this sick need to be near you always. I even did all of this in hopes of maybe showing you that I thought of you as more than just my friend. I got in a bar fight because that girl was looking at you." She slipped her hands to my shoulders. "Gar, I couldn't do half the things I do without you."

"You think about me? In a…uh, sexual way?" I asked wondering if this was a dream.

"Was I not clear on that?" She arched her brow at me. "Why do you think I was so upset by you saying that you didn't find me attractive?"

"I never would have thought that you, uh, would." I said awkwardly.

"Hmm." She said and slipped closer to me, her body lightly pressed against mine. "And now that you know differently?"

"I, uh…" I was suddenly a clueless and fumbling adolescent again. All my fantasies and desires was right here in front of me. Things I'd never thought I could have and I didn't have a clue as to how to go about it. So much for being badass Archangel, I thought.

Her eyes took on a predatory gleam as she ran her hands down my bared torso. "What's the matter, Gar? Was it all talk?" She asked shifting to her toes to nip at my mandible. "You said you've been thinking of me. Well, here I am, more than willing to be taken. So what are you going to do about it?" I groaned as she kissed along under my jaw, finding all the right places to touch. I tightened my hand on her waist and pulled her tighter to me.

"You, uh, seem to know a lot about turian, uh, anatomy." I said as she found the small space on my waist and massaged it just so as she kissed, licked, and nipped my neck and mandible.

She laughed throatily. "I've done my research. I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't interested in those turians from Omega. There's only one turian who's ever caught my eye. I wanted to be prepared incase I ever found myself in a situation I could seduce him."

"And has the situation presented itself?" I asked hardly daring to hope.

She pulled back and reached for the hem of her shirt. She pulled it up and over her head, letting it fall to the floor. My eyes left her face and settled on the mound of flesh that humans enjoyed so much. They were covered in a scrap of black lace that lifted them up and displayed them beautifully.

"You tell me." She said arching her brow, a challenge clear in her eyes. She reached up for the strap of the thing covering her breast. I caught her hand.

"Wait." I said. She took a shaky breath and looked away from me. I realized she thought I was saying no so I tugged her against me, pressing my erection against her. "I've thought of undress you so many times. I want to do it."

She looked up at me relieved and leaned back into me. "Then stop being a damn tease and show me what you've got."

Things started off tender between us. Gentle touching and undressing, a long exploration of things I'd only imagined before. Never could I have imagined how truly amazing she was. We took our time at first, learning what the other liked and didn't. But things didn't stay tame.

Eventually exploration gave way to lust and hunger of long denied pleasures. We went again and again. Changing positions, speeds, locations. I took her in all the ways I'd been dreaming of.

But she wasn't a passive passenger in all of it. She took me as often as I did her. A challenge for dominance, a slight power play. The challenging just made things hotter, especially when I came out the eventual victor.

Her submission wasn't complete; she didn't turn docile. She gave as good as she got, but she followed my lead. It was a sign of her trust and that I was her match, her equal, her mate.

Day shifted to evening and we only stopped for small breaks of resting. During our breaks we'd eat, shower, or just lay there trying to catch our breaths. But soon we were going at it again.

Eventually we were both spent. Shepard laid sprawled across my chest. I was still buried deep inside her, but I was beginning to recede finally. I nuzzled her sweaty hair aside so I could flick my tongue against her neck.

"Hmm." She moaned and snuggled into me. "I think I know why Mordin warned me about chaffing now."

"Did I hurt you? I know my skin is a bit rougher than yours, but…" I started, worried I'd ruined things.

"I'm fine, Gar. You were amazing. I may never walk right again, but it was totally worth it. And I meant chaffing because of how many times a turian male can go at it, not that you rubbed me raw with your skin."

"Oh." I said and felt myself grin. She thought I was amazing. "So…uh, can we do this again sometime?"

She lifted her head and looked at me. "If you're asking if we can go again right now, you are more than welcome to if you don't mind a partner who isn't able to move. If you're asking if we can take some shore leave together again, absolutely. And if you're asking about if we are going to do this regularly, I hope the answer to that is hell yes."

"In that case, get some rest, Shepard. I predict us not leaving this apartment until our time is up."

-0-

Shepard laid at the foot of the bed on her stomach with a pillow under her chest. Her feet up in the air behind her, crossed at her ankles. She laughed as she grabbed a grape from the bowl on the floor and popped it into her mouth. "Why is porn dialog so…cheesy?"

I relaxed back on the pillows watching the way the muscles moved in her legs and ass. She was glorious and all mine. We'd discovered that the vids Liara had given us were different even though they both starred the same fake Shepard and Garrus. We were watching hers right now. It was our last day of shore leave. I'd been right. We'd not left the apartment at all.

"Because men don't care about what is said once faced with a naked woman." I answered and enjoyed the way she grinned at me over her shoulder as she slowly bit into another grape.

"That so?"

"Yep. We are a decidedly predictable bunch. You know women could rule the galaxy if they just went around topless." I smirked at her as she rolled her eyes. I reached up to squeeze her fabric covered ass. "Men everywhere would just lose all train of thought and nod to whatever she said."

"Is that what you're doing when you stare at me blankly and nod? Are you imagining me naked?" She asked shifting around to climb into my lap.

"Guilty." I laughed as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "And now I won't even have to imagine. I know what you look like." I nuzzled her neck and then pressed my forehead to hers. My lust was building back up, but right now I was more than content to just hold her close. She curled into my arms as we turned to watch the vid.

Porn Garrus had been visiting with Porn Shepard. He was telling her a story about his time with the turian military. Telling her turians sparred on their ships during high risk missions. It was clear whoever had done the porn had no insider knowledge of how Shepard's ships ran. She had sparring rings for her crew as well. Porn Garrus had then told her about some turian scout he'd slept with after sparring with her. Something about he had reach, but she had flexibility.

"Sounds like you're carrying some tension around, Garrus." Porn Shepard said seductively as she moved to stand between him and his console. "Maybe I can help you with that."

"Didn't think you'd be up for sparring, Commander." Porn Garrus said seeming nervous and confused as he watched her leaning back on the console.

"Let's just skip right to the tiebreaker." Porn Shepard said running a finger up Porn Garrus' chest. "We can test your reach." She said pressing up against him. "And my flexibility."

Shepard looked up at me with an arched brow. "See? Porn lines are so cheesy."


End file.
